Thicker Than Blood
by notjaneausten
Summary: Based loosely on events from Season 3's 'The Suicide King' and 'Home' but with the focusing on the turmoil shown by Daryl and Carol after he chooses to take to the road with his brother rather than to return to be with her.
1. Chapter 1

As the black cloth hood was pulled off his head, Daryl looked up to find himself standing in the middle of a mock arena surrounded by jeering townsfolk. He slowly turned around in a circle until he found himself facing the one person he never thought to see again.

"Merle." He whispered under his breath.

"I asked you where your loyalties lie and you said here. Prove it; prove it to us all." A tall, dangerous looking man wearing a gauze eye patch, came striding through the crowd and gestured for Daryl's bonds to be released. As he felt the wire ties being cut loose, Daryl started to rub his wrists trying to restore the circulation. "Brother against brother; winner goes free." The man halted in front of where Merle and Daryl were now standing side by side. "Fight to the death!" As he shouted the final words, the crowd erupted into raucous cheers and started to chant.

"Fight, Fight, Fight!"

Merle and Daryl looked at each other slowly; each hardly believing the other to be alive. Merle turned slightly away from his younger brother and raised his arm into the air capturing the crowd's attention.

"Y'all know me. I'm gonna do whatever I gotta do to prove…" As he was speaking Merle was slowly circling Daryl, he paused for effect before throwing a punch directly into Daryl's gut; forcing him to the ground where he curled up in agony. "That my loyalty…" A kick aimed exactly in the same spot forced the air out of Daryl's lungs causing him to gasp for breath. "…Is to this town!" As Merle continued to kick his fallen brother two shackled Walkers were led into the ring; snarling and gnashing their teeth.

Daryl managed to roll onto his back and reached up to wrap his arms tightly around Merle's throat.

"You really think this assholes just gonna let you leave?" He gasped up at his brother, trying to comprehend just what kind of hold the tall man had over Merle. Merle looked down at Daryl and gave a little wink.

"Just follow my lead, little brother. We're getting out of this….right now!" He broke free of Daryl's hold and they both lunged to their feet; standing back to back and assuming a defensive position. They started to circle around; still with their backs together and started to lunge for the Walkers. The crowd went wild; screaming and jeering at the turn of events. Just as one Walker went in for Daryl's throat a spray of blood erupted from its head as a result of the bullets sprayed from Maggie's rifle. Rick threw a flash bang into the centre of the ring and then they both laid down a spray of covering fire. Daryl and Merle used the smokescreen to down the remaining Walkers and run from the ring. Daryl snatched his cross bow out of one of the hand of one of the townspeople and they raced over to join Maggie and Rick crouched down behind a dumpster just on the edge of the arena.

The tall man known as The Governor peered through the smoke, scanning the area with his pistol raised. He was a seething mass of fury and frustration; how dare they ruin his plans? He saw the panic of the people around him and a sly grin appeared over his taut face.

"Rick, come on!" Daryl urged Rick to stop wasting ammunition shooting into the crowd. "Time to go." Rick lowered his rifle and then he, Maggie, Daryl and Merle started to run for the fence.

"They're all at the arena, this way!" Merle started to lead them to an area of the town boundary that was formed out of school buses and turned over cars and was slightly lower than the rest making it easier for them to slip through.

"You're not going anywhere with us!" Rick stated harshly, ever on alert and scanning the deserted town square for possible attack.

"You really want to do this now?" Merle shouted, indicating that they should be focused on escaping without being captured rather than discussed whether he had a rightful place within the group. Merle slipped behind the school bus and started kicking at a piece of corrugated sheeting that formed a wall around the square.

"Rick, come on we gotta go." Daryl noticed that Merle had broken through the sheeting, creating a gap just large enough for them all to slip through. He grabbed Rick by the shoulder and forced him to turn around. Merle had started taking down the Walkers that had congregated along the outer wall.

"A little help would be nice!" He shouted sarcastically as he saw the others finally slipping through the fence. Maggie raised her pistol and brought down a Walker directly behind Merle and Rick aimed for one heading their way. More and more Walkers were attracted to the noise and started to drift over.

"We ain't got time for this!" Shouted Merle and the small group stopped firing and ran for the highway. A lone Walker shuffled over to the gap Merle had made in the fence and forced its body through the gap, exposed jaw clicking together slowly.


	2. Chapter 2

Out on the Highway, Michonne was leaning against Shane's old Hyundai with Glenn sitting on the side of the road. They had been waiting anxiously for Rick and Maggie to return, hopefully with Daryl, neither one was in a fit state to lend a hand; both recovering from their recent torture at the hands of Merle. A shout from the wooded area behind the car had them both standing to attention.

"Rick!" Glenn exclaimed softly and made his way gingerly around the rear of the car; holding one hand against his sore ribs. He had insisted on coming along in support of his girlfriend, Maggie but was feeling pretty useless. "Rick, ah Thank God!" He looked over through the trees and saw Rick leading Maggie and Daryl.

"Now, we gotta a problem here and I need you to back off." Rick came forward holding out a hand to Glenn in a peacemaker's pose. It was only then that both Glenn and Michonne saw who was following close behind Daryl.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Glenn saw red and raised his pistol to point directly at Merle; Michonne had also noticed the straggler and raced forward, Katana sword raised high.

"Hey!" Rick and Maggie stepped forward to try and defuse the suddenly tense atmosphere. Daryl stepped in front of his brother to face Glenn down.

"He tried to kill me!" Michonne's sword didn't waver despite the fact that she hadn't slept in days and her head ached fiercely from the concussion that the man in front of her had given her.

"Drop the sword!" Rick demanded.

"If it wasn't for him, Maggie…." Glenn refused to lower his pistol, fury tightening his frame.

"He helped us get out, drop the gun." Daryl kept his voice calm and even, not wanted to antagonise Glenn into pulling the trigger accidentally. "Hey, get that thing outta my face!" He swiped at the hand holding the gun and took a menacing step forward. Merle leant back against a tree and chortled loudly.

"Hey, looks like you gone native brother." Daryl whirled around to face his brother, anger sketched across his features.

"Shut up, Merle!" Daryl crossed over to where Merle was still leaning back against the tree, couldn't Merle see that he was just making things worse?

"Whatcha gonna do now, Sheriff? Surrounded by a bunch of liars, thugs and cowards…"

"Shut up!" Rick barely spared the gloating man a thought, he started to pace around the wooded area trying to think things through.

"Oh man look at this. All these guns and no bullets….." Merle couldn't believe his misfortune, to think that he'd left Woodbury for this!

"Shut up!" Daryl ordered his brother again. Well, Merle couldn't take being spoken to like that, not from anyone and certainly not his own flesh and blood.

"Shut up yerself! Pathetic! Bunch of pussies….." Merle had stepped forward to yell at Daryl only to find himself knocked out cold by Rick pistol whipping him against the back of his head.

"Asshole." Rick looked down at the unconscious man and stalked away.


	3. Chapter 3

"It won't work." Rick stated to Daryl. He, Daryl, Glenn and Maggie were standing in the middle of the Highway discussing the idea of bringing Merle back to the prison with them.

"It's gotta." Daryl's eyes pleaded with Rick to relent, to have found his brother again only to lose him was more than he could bear.

"It'll stir things up."

"The Governors probably on his way to the prison right now, Merle knows the way he thinks and we could use the muscle."

"I'm not having him at the prison." Maggie stated quietly. After all that she and Glenn had been through recently, Maggie couldn't even contemplate as being in the same room as him.

"Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Beth?" Glenn looked over at Daryl and stared him straight in the eye. "Or Carol?" Glenn watched Daryl's eyes narrow at the sound of her name. Everyone knew how he felt about the quiet widow and how they were only just beginning to explore the possibilities over developing their friendship into something more.

"Merle's no rapist." Daryl stated with certainty, Merle may have had his share of rough sex over the years but he had never had to force a woman into his bed.

"There's no way Merle can live with us without putting everybody at each other's throats."

"You're just gonna cut Merle loose and go back with the last Samurai?" Daryl gestured over to where Michonne was leaning against the Hyundai, keeping an eye on the still woozy Merle.

"She's not coming back." Rick stated definitively.

"She's not in a state to be on her own." Maggie protested.

"She did lead us back to you." Glenn chipped in.

"And then ditched us." Rick muttered, he could see the way this was headed and wasn't happy about it at all. Couldn't these people see that the only people they could rely on where themselves?

"At least let my Dad stitch her up, it's the least we can do." Maggie asked quietly.

"She's unpredictable…"Rick mused, Daryl saw his indecision and butted in.

"We don't know who she is. But Merle….Merle's blood."

"No, Merle's **your** blood." Glenn interrupted. "**My **blood, my family is standing right here and waiting for us back at the prison."

"You're part of that family." Rick turned to face Daryl. "He's not…he's not."

"Man, I don't know…." Daryl looked at each of the group staring over at him and then looked across at where Merle was throwing up against a tree. "Fine! We'll fend for ourselves."

"That's not what I was saying." Glenn lifted his hand out to Daryl in an effort to try and make the other man understand.

"No him…no me."

"Daryl, you don't have to do that." Maggie was pleading with him now, begging him to change his mind. Daryl looked at her and shook his head, mind made up.

"It was always Merle and I before this…"

"Don't…" She whispered softly, shaking her head in refusal. Glenn stepped forward, not quite believing what was happening.

"You're serious? You're just gonna leave like that?"

"You'd do that same thing..."

"What do you want us to tell Carol?" Glenn asked quietly and watched as Daryl froze for a moment, as if finally realising what he would be giving up in order to be with his brother. Long moments passed before he was able to speak and then it was only two words.

"She'll understand." Daryl looked around the group memorising their faces as if he thought never to see them again. He nodded in parting and strode off down the road ignoring their calls of protest "Hey, there's gotta be another way." Rick jogged to catch up with the taciturn hunter and pulled him to a stop.

"Don't ask me to leave him. I already did that once." Daryl shook off Rick's restraining arm and continued to walk down the road to the car.

"We started something last night, you realise that." Rick bent low to Dary's ear not wanting Glenn and Maggie to overhear.

"No him, no me; that's all I can say." Daryl popped open the boot to rummage inside for his khaki rucksack. He hefted the bag onto his shoulder and turned to make his final goodbye. "You take care of yourself. Lil Ass Kicker. Carl, that's one tough kid you've got there. Remember Rick; blood is thicker than water and that's why I gotta be with Merle." Daryl turned around to join Merle who was waiting just ahead in the tree line and then turned back to face Rick once more. "Rick, would you do me a favour?"

"Anything…"

"Tell Carol…tell her…" Daryl fell silent, unable even now to voice his inner feelings. Rick nodded slowly and tipped his finger to his brow in salute.

"I'll make sure she knows. Bye Daryl."

"Bye Rick." Daryl turned again and swiftly moved over to join his brother. Merle slung his good arm around Daryl's shoulders and they silently moved into the trees and were gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Carol and Carl were pacing the paths outside the guard tower waiting for their men to return. Carl was waiting anxiously for his remaining parent to return and Carol was there to offer him comfort, the fact that she would also get the chance to greet Daryl was a bonus. She knew something wasn't quite right when Rick got out of the car at the guard hut and slowly strolled over to her with his head hung low. The car continued up through the other gate to park in the courtyard.

"Where's Daryl?" Carol's heart was racing and she pressed her hand to her stomach to relieve the sudden tension cramping her stomach. Rick strode over and place a hand tenderly on her shoulder, looking deep into her eyes he said-

"It's alright. He's alive. He ran into his brother; they went off."

"They left? Daryl left….you mean he's gone?" Carol couldn't believe what she was hearing, she kept pleading with Rick for it not to be true. "Is he coming back..?" Rick's face told her all that she needed to know, despite their fledgling relationship, Daryl had chosen to go off with his brother rather than returning back to her. She wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself tightly and ignoring the comforting hand that Rick held out to her. If anyone showed her the slightest bit of kindness she was likely to fall to the ground in a weeping mess. Carl touched her hand lightly and she managed a weak smile. Rick slung a hand over his son's shoulder and he led them both up the gravel driveway and into the prison grounds.

A little while later Beth carried Judith up the metal staircase that led to the perch that Daryl had claimed as his resting spot. She could see Carol scrubbing at the large plastic container that Daryl had rescued from the commissary. Carol kept her head down and mind focused on making the container germ free in order to become Judith's new crib. Beth could see from the state of Carol's red tipped nose that her friend had been crying and thought that a visit from the baby might cheer her up. Carol looked up at Beth's approach and managed a faint smile.

"She wouldn't have made it if Daryl hadn't have been here. He couldn't stand to lose anyone else."

"That sounds like him." Carol continued to rub at the already clean crib, Daryl had told her how devastated he had been thinking she had died in the tombs along with T-Dog; it had been that confession that had finally broken the barriers between them and they had shared a fervent embrace.

"I don't see why he had to leave, Merle sounds like a jerk."

"Men like Merle get into your head, make you feel like you deserve the abuse."

"Even for Daryl?"

"I'm hardly the woman I was a year ago; but if Ed walked in here right now and told me to grab my stuff, I'd like to think I'd tell him to go to hell."

"You would, I'm certain of it."

"It doesn't matter." Carol brushed off the compliment and strode over to where she had laid out some soft blankets to air. She folded the blanket into quarters and gently lined the inside of the plastic crib.  
"We're weak without him."

"We'll get through this too. Tyreese and his friends seem capable."

"I'm pissed at him for leaving." Beth whispered, and Carol spared her a brief glance.

"Don't be…Daryl has his code; this world needs men like that." Taking the baby gently from Beth's arms Carol nestled Judith in close for a moment, breathing in the warm, milky smell. Carol gently placed Judith into the soft nest she had created and both women chuckled at the way the baby gurgled and cooed back at them.

Once she made sure that Judith was secure, Carol left Beth and the baby on the perch and made her way over to her cell. She pulled the blanket down from where it was hooked over the frame so that it fell over the door to act as a security screen. As soon as she was out of view Carol crawled onto her bunk and let herself give into the tears that had been threatening to overwhelm her ever since Beth had approached with the baby.

Cradling her own stomach, Carol turned her head into the pillow hoping that it would absorb any sounds of her agony from the rest of the cell block. Maggie heard the muffled sounds as she headed toward her own cell for a moment away from the over solicitous Glenn. She stood outside of Carol's cell for a while wondering whether it was best just to let Carol get it all out of her system. She then thought about how she would feel if it were her and dismissed the idea of not offering comfort as ludicrous.

"Carol honey, can I come in?" Without waiting for a response Maggie pushed aside the blanket and stepped through into the cell. Seeing the tightly curled up figure of misery on the bunk, she immediately crawled over to sit behind Carol to rub her back in soothing motions. Carol desperately tried to control her crying but only succeeded in giving herself hiccoughs instead. "I…I'll be alright in…a…minute…."

"You just go ahead and cry it all out if you have to…" Maggie continued to rub Carol's back and when she thought the older woman was calm enough slowly took her hand away and sat up against the wall at the end of the bunk. Carol sighed heavily and wiped her nose and eyes with her handkerchief and crawled up to sit next to Maggie.

"Wanna talk about it?" Maggie asked quietly, Carol shook her head and just took hold of her hand. They both sat quietly in the dimness of the cell, staring down at their feet. Maggie noticed that Carol's hand kept flitting to her stomach and then back into her lap. When she did it for the third time in five minutes Maggie knew there were some things that just couldn't remain unspoken.

"Did you tell him yet?"

"Tell who what?" Carol kept her face turned away so that Maggie couldn't read her expression.

"Don't play dumb with me, Carol. You two may have kept things on the down low but everyone could see that there was something between the two of you. Now, did you tell Daryl before he left?"

"No, I only found out for sure this morning. I came across one of Lori's old test kits that Glenn got for her last year. God, I can't believe I've been so stupid!" Carol dropped her head in her hands in despair. "You'd have thought I'd have been old enough by now to have learnt my lesson! Twice in my life I've had unprotected sex and twice gotten pregnant as a result! I must be the most fertile forty two year old in the state of Georgia!"

"Once? You only had sex with Daryl once?" It had been weeks since they had been able to make a supply run, and Maggie would have heard from Glenn if anyone had approached him for a packet of condoms.

"Yeah, well….once was apparently more than enough for him. The next day he could hardly look me in the eye….we've hardly spoken since then. Oh, Maggie what I am I going to do? It was bad enough realising that he didn't want me anymore – I told myself that just being near him was enough; but now he's gone…..I…I…" Carol burst into heavy tears again and buried her head against Maggie's shoulder. Maggie was still in slight shock over what Carol had just confessed – to think that Daryl had slept with Carol and then seemingly ignored her afterwards just didn't seem like the behaviour that he had shown at the Highway earlier today. She remembered the quiet conversation that he'd had with Rick a little later and resolved to discover just what had been said.

"Carol, you need to take a breath and calm down. I'm gonna go and find Daddy to get him to check you over, I'm worried that all this stress might be bad for the baby." Maggie used her fingers to gently wipe away the tears fallen onto Carol's cheeks. She pressed a kiss to the back of Carol's hand and whispered that she'd be right back.

"Daddy, we have a slight situation with Carol. I think you'd better head on up to check her over. I'm a little concerned for her right now." Maggie found her father, Rick and Glenn sitting on the metal bleachers out in the courtyard discussing plans for fortifying the walls around the prison. Ever since Tyreese, Sasha, Alan and Ben had revealed that the back wall of the administration block had caved in, the whole area was vulnerable to a Walker invasion.

"Okay, I'll head on over there now. Rick, I'll speak to you later." Hershel nodded as he hopped off the bench and reached for his crutches. Despite losing a leg as a result of a field amputation performed in a hurry by Rick, Hershel still managed to be an active member of the group.

"Is there anything goin' on that I should be worried about?" Concern was evident in Rick's voice as he looked over to where Maggie had taken a seat next to her boyfriend, Glenn and was tightly holding onto his hand. "Maggie?" He questioned again when Maggie held her head down low concentrating on the feel of Glenn's hand against her own. She finally looked up to meet Rick's questioning gaze.

"Rick, did Daryl ever mention whether he had any feelin's toward Carol? Other than friendship, I mean?" Glenn gasped in surprise and turned to his girlfriend.

"Maggie! That's a bit personal don't you think?"

"No, Glenn that's alright. Why do you ask? I mean I know Carol's likely to be upset at Daryl's not returning but she seemed to be holding it together alright when I told her at the gate."

"Apparently they were a **lot** closer than any of us realised, she's pretty much an emotional wreck right now. Daryl has a lot to do with that – Carol told me that after they slept together, he simply stopped talking to her…"

"Wait! They **slept** together! When did this happen?" Glenn leant forward on the bench, hardly believing what he was hearing and eager for more details.

"I don't know…a while ago, I guess." They had been at the prison for four months and it had been nearly three since Daryl had rescued Carol from where she had been hiding from Walkers down in the prison tombs. "Ahhhh…I think I know when…" Maggie nodded, seeing it clearly in her mind how crazed Daryl had been thinking that Carol was dead and after he had found her not wanting to let her out of his sight until she was fully recovered. "Anyway that's not the point…what is freaking her out is how his behaviour suddenly changed. Did anyone else notice how distant he's been actin' toward her in the last month or so?"

"No, not really." Rick tried to think back, but with everything that had happened in his own life he could hardly recall anything else. Since arriving at the prison he had started to make things right with Lori only to lose her in childbirth. For the first few weeks of Judith's life he could barely stand to look at her, as sub consciously be blamed the innocent babe for causing her mother's death. It had only been in the last month that he had started to see her for what the miracle she truly was.

"I did." A small adolescent voice drifted over from the edge of the bleachers. Carl had walked out into the yard and just caught the mention of Daryl's distant behaviour toward Carol.

"Carl, what are you doin' out here? Aren't you supposed to be inside helping Axel with dinner?" Rick looked over in exasperation at his son. Carl shrugged his shoulders and sidled closer along the bench.

"Axel kept taking over, telling me I wasn't doing it right; so I left him to it."

"How did you notice Daryl acting toward Carol?" Maggie asked the young teen, pushing the brown Stetson back on his head so that she could look into his face. Carl screwed up his eyes at the glare of the sun and pulled the Stetson back into place so that it shaded his face.

"Well, when we first came to the prison they were all smiles and flirty looks. I overheard them talking a few times and Daryl would be leaning in real close to her. Kinda like you and Mom used to do…"

"Uh-huh…Go on." Rick nodded in encouragement and Carl continued.

"Until Carol came back from the tombs, Daryl would take her out every morning for target practise and he always asked to be paired up in the guard tower with her for watch duties. Since he found her down there, he hardly talks to her and he never sits close or touches her hair. Remember he used to tease her about the way her hair was growing out? He doesn't do that anymore."

"Okay, why don't you head on back inside and see whether Axel needs a hand with anything in the kitchen." Rick looked up to see Hershel making his way back across the courtyard and shooed his son back into the cellblock. From the look on Hershel's face it was probably better that Carl not overhear the rest of their conversation.

"How is she, Daddy?" Maggie slid over so that Hershel could sit on the edge of the bench. He looked at her and shook his head slightly.

"Not so good, honey. I left her sleepin' but I don't think she's fully accepted it just yet."

"Not accepted what exactly, Hershel? Tell me what's going on!" Rick was growing more and more concerned at the quick looks exchanged between father and daughter.

"Well, I don't think she'd mind me tellin' you under the circumstances. Rick - Carol's pregnant with Daryl's child. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that she's taken the news about him leavin' pretty hard. And before you ask, no he didn't know." Hershel broke the unexpected news and saw Rick sat back against the bench, face pale with shock.

They had only just lost Rick's own wife, Lori during childbirth and to be faced with another potential death so soon was almost too much for anyone to deal with. Lori had been relatively young and healthy and still had died. Carol was in her early forties – eight years older than Lori and had already been through one difficult childbirth, with her daughter Sophia.

"So – I'm gonna ask you again, Rick. Did Daryl ever give you any indication of his feelings for Carol?" Maggie leant across the bench to force Rick to face her. "Cause if he did, we need to go back out and drag his sorry ass back here+."

"What about Merle?" Glenn asked.

"Merle can have a cell in the other block, as long as I don't have to sleep in the same room as him it will be okay. So what's the answer Rick?" Rick looked over at the faces staring at him for an answer and shook his head.

"He never said it in so many words…but yes, I think he had strong feelings for Carol. He was clearly torn up about going off with Merle or coming back with us. He took me aside and asked me to tell her something, but it was as though he couldn't find the words."

"Well, what do you think made him change?" Glenn just couldn't understand how a man could turn so cold against the woman he cared deeply for. He then remembered how he had acted when Maggie first told him that she loved him and how it had made him freeze up and unable to protect his friends. "Maybe it was because he loved her that he backed away. We all know how trouble seems to follow Daryl wherever he goes – so maybe he was just trying to protect her."

"Or it well may be that he just doesn't know how to act after being so intimate with someone. I mean look at how Merle acts – he can't have been a shining example in Daryl's life can he?" Maggie rose from the bench and brushed the dirt of the seat of her pants. "I think that we need to discuss this with everyone else and then decide what we are going to do."

"Boy, Axel's not gonna be happy." Hershel whistled through his teeth as the small group climbed the stairs to enter into the cell block.

"What makes you say that?" Glenn asked the older man. Hershel rubbed his bristly jaw and nodded over in the direction of the former prisoner.

"Axel's sweet on Carol, has been for a while now." Rick had noticed the man's obvious affection for the lady too.

"Well, if we don't go out and find Daryl or if he doesn't come back, then maybe he hasn't lost his chance yet. I know that Carol's hurting now but given enough time she may just see that sometimes a little comfort goes a long way." Hershel recollected at how he had felt after his first wife, Josephine had died. He wasn't looking to get married again or to start another family, but when he had met the caring Annette, warm friendship had slowly deepened into something very meaningful.

"I don't think that she will be looking in that direction, given how deeply she felt about Daryl." Maggie brushed past her father, and headed up the stairs to check on how Carol was doing. She found her friend sitting up on her bunk stroking her belly slowly. Carol looked up to see Maggie in the doorway and patted the seat beside her.

"Sorry for being such a water bucket all over you. It was just the shock, I suppose."

"'S okay, how're you feeling? Did talking to Daddy help?"

"Not really he just confirmed what I already knew. It was a couple of days after he found me in the Tombs; he had taken to sleeping across my cell door just to keep an eye on me. One night I opened my eyes and he was just sitting on the floor next to my bunk; stroking my hair. When he saw that I was awake he leant over to kiss me. One thing led to another and….."

"Here we are…"

"Yes, here we are." Carol stroked her tummy again. When she hadn't started to bleed in the first month she hadn't been that concerned. Lack of proper nutrition had sent all of the women's cycles crazy; it was only after the second missed period that she thought she had probably entered the menopause early. After the third missed period at the start of the week she decided to perform a pregnancy test just to be sure; she hadn't had any of the other signs of early menopause but had been feeling more tired than usual and a slight queasiness upon waking over the last couple of weeks in particular.

"You know that I'm gonna be here for you right?" Maggie bumped shoulders with Carol and made eye contact. "Whatever you decide to do and whatever happens down the road…I'm here for you, Carol."

"I'm having this baby, Maggie. This little person that's tucked away inside me may be the last link to its Daddy and I'm gonna hold onto that for as long as it takes." Carol looked over at Maggie with a look of stubbornness on her face; she may be too 'old' in some people's eyes but she was still young enough to get through this, no matter what.

"Carol? Maggie? Could you come on out here for a second? There's something we need to discuss…" Rick's voice drifted up from below and Maggie could hear in his tone that they had come to a decision. She jumped to her feet and smiled down at Carol.

"Come on, let's go…You're gonna want to hear this…."


	5. Chapter 5

They hadn't been more than a day on the road before the rosy glow of being reunited fell from Daryl's eyes and he started to remember all the little things that used to annoy him about his brother. By day three, he was just about ready to quit on him altogether and hightail it back down the Highway screaming for Rick to come and get him.

Merle had a way of making everything a competition; even something as simple as discussing which direction they should head in.

"Smell to me like the Sawhatchee creek." Merle mused as they hacked their way through the woodland.

"We can go west enough, there's a river down there. It's got to be the Yellow Jacket."

"You had a stroke, boy? We ain't never come close enough to the Yellow Jacket."

"We can go west, a little bit south, that's what I think."

"Know what I think?" Merle looked over at his brother and scoffed. "I may have lost my hand but you lost your sense of direction."

"Yeah? Well we'll see."

"What'd you wanna bet?"

"Don't wanna bet nuthin', just a body of water. Why does everythin' gotta be a competition with you?" Daryl kicked the leaves at his feet and stared balefully at his brother's back.

"Whoah, take it easy little brother, just tryin' ta have a 'lil fun here."

The next incident came just a short while later when they came across a Latino family surrounded by Walkers. It was the sound of a baby crying that first alerted Daryl to any trouble and he instantly made his crossbow ready and ran to help. After he had cleared the Walkers from the bridge Daryl noticed Merle rummaging through the family's car.

"Get outta the car." Daryl pointed his crossbow at Merle's back and ordered him firmly to put down whatever he had found.

"Now I know you ain't speakin' to me 'lil brother." Merle straightened up slowly and turned around, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Get in the car and get the hell outta here! Go! Get in your car." Daryl wasn't even sure the Latino man could understand him at all but he seemed to understand the urgency of the request. Daryl held his bow up against Merle's chest until the car squealed across the bridge. He lowered the bow and leant down to pick up his fallen rucksack. As he placed it on his shoulder and started to walk over the bridge something made him look over at the sign; a faint smile flickered across his lips as he read – 'Yellow Jacket Creek'. He mentally flipped Merle the bird and continued to walk.

"What the shit you doing, pointing that thing at me?" Merle was furious as he stalked after Daryl back into the woodland.

"They were scared, man."

"They were rude, that's what they were. Rude, and they owed us a token of gratitude."

"They didn't owe us nothin'."

"So now you're just helpin' people outta the goodness of your heart – even though you might die doin' it. Is that somethin' that your 'lil Sheriff pal taught yer?"

"There was a baby!" Daryl shouted at his brother, why couldn't Merle just have the slightest bit of decency for once?

"Oh, otherwise you'd have just thrown them to the biters?"

"Man, I went back for you but you weren't there!" Daryl finally turned to face his brother letting all of his pent up frustration explode in an angry tirade. "I didn't cut off your hand neither – you did that…Way before they locked you up on that roof – you asked for it." Daryl was waving a bolt from his crossbow in Merle's face and his brother looked to the ground and then back up to his face. Things got heated then with accusations flying back and forth about who left who, Daryl accused his brother of being a 'simple minded piece of shit' and that was when Merle lunged back to throw him down to the ground. During the tussle Merle grabbed hold of the back of Daryl's sleeveless shirt and tore it cleanly off his back. Merle stood back in shock at the rivers of deep scar tissue running across Daryl's whole back. Daryl shook of Merle's hold and shook his ragged shirt back into place to hide the scarring.

"I….I didn't know he was…"

"Yeah, you did. He did the same to you, 's why you left first." Daryl grabbed his rucksack and shifted it onto his back before rising to his feet.

"I had to man. I would have killed him otherwise." Merle stood with his hands at his side and watched as Daryl started to walk off; he noticed that Daryl had turned back in the direction from which they came. "Where you going, man?"

"Back where I belong; there's someone there that I never should've left."

"Who…? Not the little grey mouse…?" Merle chortled at the look on Daryl's face at the nickname he had given Carol back at the quarry camp. He shook his head in wonderment and then looked back over to his brother. "Bet you just had your fun and walked away, just like 'ole Merle taught you." At the look on Daryl's face, Merle knew that he had hit the nail straight on the head. "Don't tell me that you have **feelin's** for the woman now, whoee! Never saw that one coming! You think she's just gonna take you back, after you just walked away like that? No, siree she's likely to fill your butt with buckshot for not having the balls to stick around in the first place. Come on 'lil brother, tell me all about it." Merle could see that Daryl was fighting for control and continued, more serious now than he had ever been before. "I don't mean the juicy details – nothing like that. I mean, tell me all about you and her. God knows I wasn't around during your teenage years but I'm here now and I'm ready to listen." Daryl looked over at Merle standing quietly in the shade of a tree and all thought of how furious he was with him vanished with that one quiet statement.

"I don't know where to start…it just crept up on me before I even realised. We'd always been jokin' around and flirtin' on the road, and had grown close since Sophia died…"

"Really…little mousey can flirt? Ah, sorry…" Merle could only remember Carol as a down beaten, battered housewife who trembled within the shadow of her hulking husband. To think of her bantering against his redneck of a brother was beyond his simple comprehension.

"Well, things got a little heated one night when we first arrived at the prison…and I suddenly started to see her as a woman…not just as someone who needed looking after on the road. I still wanted to protect her and all that…but I wanted more too."

"Okay, I take it she felt the same way too?" Merle just couldn't see what the problem could be, both were consenting adults and things had obviously gotten serious for Daryl to be even talking about it. "Yeah….it was all her at first, trying to push my buttons; touching me whenever she could." Daryl paced in front of Merle as he remembered the soft touches, the shared laughter and the way that Carol had always made sure that he had something to eat at the end of the day. "I nearly lost it when I thought she was dead…went crazy for a while."

"Hold up, she's dead?" Merle held up a hand to stop Daryl from talking any further. His little brother was all het up over someone that was dead? It just didn't make sense.

"No! Ain't you even listenin'? I said I **thought** she was dead, not that she was dead. God! What's the frickin' point?" Daryl threw his hands up in the air in pure frustration, when had it ever been worth trying to have a simple conversation with Merle?

"Okay, so she ain't dead. You went crazy and then what happened?"

"It had been days since Walkers attacked the prison. I'd found T-Dog ripped to pieces down in the tombs and found a bloody scarf of Carol's on the floor. Merle, I lost it – completely lost it…I would spend hours just sittin' next to her empty grave just talkin' to her…and she wasn't even frickin' in there! If I had just gone a little further down the corridor I would have found her sooner! She'd been trapped inside a tiny closet- covered with God knows what and was practically catatonic when I carried her out."

"'Fraid of little spaces?" Merle mused, he'd had a friend in the Army who was also afraid of being enclosed and had tried to commit suicide rather than be posted to the armoured tank division.

"Yeah, I took her back to the cells and got her cleaned up. I spent the next couple of nights sleepin' outside her door, just in case she had nightmares. One night I couldn't help myself and just had to be near her…..one thing led to another and the next morning I just couldn't look her in the eye."

"You'd had enough of her?"

"God, no! I thought that I wouldn't be able to keep myself from touchin' her all the time. I was just constantly thinkin' about her…I was losing my edge, Merle and I didn't like the way it made me feel." Daryl looked over to see how his brother reacted to his words, Merle sighed and shook his head.

"Brother, you're more than a pussy than I ever gave you credit for. In the midst of this crazy shit, you managed to find yourself a woman that didn't care that you have a back scarred enough to make you part Frankenstein; obviously cared enough for you to make sure that you had enough to eat and you just upped and left her! For what? Some no good piece of shit that you had the misfortune enough to be related to! Daryl, you're a frickin' pussy and I wouldn't blame her one little bit if she's already decided that you just ain't worth cryin' over anymore." Merle couldn't believe just how stupid his brother had acted, sure Merle talked up a good story about his past sexual endeavours but he would have given anything to have experienced the love that Carol obviously felt for his little brother.

"You need to go back and try and make this right. I cain't go with you, 'lil brother. I tried to kill that black bitch and damn near killed that Chinese kid." Merle had tears shining in his eyes as he looked over at his brother; knowing that they were not likely to ever meet again.

"He's Korean." Daryl couldn't think of anything else to say; his mind racing over what Merle had said – was there a chance that he could make things right with Carol or had he been such a blockhead that he had blown his one chance at true happiness.

"Whatever! It doesn't matter! I cain't go with you!" Daryl looked back over to Merle and waved a bolt in the air.

"You could come back with me and you know it. There's plenty of places around the prison that you could stay and keep out of the others way. I may be the one walkin' away, but you're the one that's leavin'….again. Blood's thicker than water, something you clearly forgot." Daryl threw that parting comment over his shoulder and stomped off into the woods, leaving Merle standing with his hands on his hips wondering just what the hell happened. He had heard Daryl's last comment and remembered how they had used it as a goodbye to remind themselves that they were a unit and nothing could ever truly divide them. "Yeah, I hear ya 'lil brother. But what you forgot was that love is thicker than blood." Moments later, he shook his head as he stepped forward to follow his brother down whatever path he had chosen.


	6. Chapter 6

It was surprisingly easy persuading Rick to let Merle re-join the group; the fact The Governor had paid Rick and the others a little 'social call' earlier in the day had Rick almost falling over backwards to have both the Dixon brothers on his side of the fire fight. The only thing that Rick had insisted upon was that Merle remain segregated from the main group just until tempers died down a little.

Daryl left Merle snoozing on a cot in the solitary cell at the far end of the cell block and went to sort through the stuff that he'd left behind on the perch. Someone, and he suspected Carol, had moved everything into one of the empty cells up on the second level and he sat on the lower bunk to sort through the rucksacks; if they were going to war then he needed to make sure that he had a plentiful supply of bolts to hand. He was distracted from his search when the faint scent of roses and lavender drifted through the cell. Daryl sat back against the wall and tried to act casual; draping one leg over the other to hide his body's reaction to her presence.

"I haven't had a chance to say, glad you came back." Carol paused in the doorway and leant against the frame looking over at Daryl as he ran a cloth over the length of the bolt. He looked up at her and scoffed lightly, running his gaze around the cramped quarters.

"To what? All this?" Carol pushed herself away from the doorframe and walked further into the cell, she sat down on the small metal stool, bolted to the floor and his senses went haywire by her close proximity.

"This is our home." Daryl's gaze flickered to meet her deep blue eyes and then dropped down to the bolt he was running through his fingers.

"This is a tomb." He finally replied and felt immediately ashamed as he saw the memories shadowing Carol's face and saw the animation drain from her eyes.

"That's what T-Dog called it. Thought he was right…" Carol looked over at him and smiled faintly. "Til you found me." A small resemblance of a small turned up the corner of Daryl's mouth and he looked down again at his hands.

"He's your brother." Carol said quietly, bringing his gaze returning to her face. "But he's not good for you. Don't let him bring you down." Daryl nodded slightly at her words; recognising the truth behind them. "After all," Carol continued, "Look how far you've come." They looked around the cell and both started chuckling at the same time.

"Yeah, Momma would be so proud. Her lil' boy in the Big House…" It had always been Merle behind bars until now; first Juvie, then the County jail; Daryl had always vowed that he would never turn out like his brother, but just look at him now.

"Never thought I'd end up behind bars, I was always such a good girl." Carol mused looking over at the bars on the windows and then on the doors.

"Yeah, until ya started hangin' around with me." Daryl smirked over from the end of the bunk and Carol leant forward to playfully smack his leg.

"I told you before about running yourself down…I won't stand for it, you hear me, Dixon?"

"Jeez, woman!" Daryl leant forward to rub his leg where it smarted from her smack. "Only kidding around, ya need ta save those smacks for the Walkers; gettin' ta pack a mighty powerful punch there."

"Oh, poor baby! Do you want me to kiss your boo-boo's better?" Carol pursed her lips together and Daryl saw that her eyes were twinkling with amusement. Daryl placed his bolt carefully to one side and shifted on the bed so that he was facing her straight on.

"Don't make promises ya cain't keep." He growled softly in a low gravelly voice and watched as her pupils dilated and her lashes fluttered against her cheekbones. "Ya really wanna know why I came back?"

"Tell me…" She whispered softly, keeping her eyes fixed on his as his face drew closer.

"You…" He replied softly as he closed the gap between them to bring their lips together in a feather light touch. _Finally, _he thought as their mouths pressed against each other for the very first time.

_At last, _Carol thought as she tasted the sweetness of his breath with the faint tang of tobacco as his tongue slipped out to trace her lips before dipping in to sip the moisture from her mouth. Their hands remained at their sides throughout that first hesitant kiss; only their lips made contact. Drawing back slowly, Daryl opened his eyes to see what Carol made of his bold move; as her eyelids slowly opened, he saw the cloudy expression in her eyes and risked asking the question that had haunted him for so long.

"What ya think? Could ya ever…?" He flushed as he stumbled over his words; hope and fear battling inside of him.

"I think…" Carol pondered for a moment, a serious expression wrinkling her brow. Daryl felt his heart sink and began to draw back, both emotionally and physically. He felt the breath leave his body in the next instant when he found himself flat on the bunk with an exuberant squealing Carol plastered over his chest and threatening to squeeze the life out of him. "…what took you so long?" She finally finished her sentence, peppering his face with kisses and rubbing her cheek all over his scruff. He wrapped his arms tightly around her body and buried his face in her neck, breathing in the scent of her and taking it deep into his lungs.

"I love ya, woman. I had ta come back fer ya; couldn't take bein' away from ya no more." He mumbled into the crook of her neck, and Carol felt tears threatening behind her lashes.

"You weren't even gone a whole day, Pookie." She ran her hands through his overly long hair; relishing the thought of finally being able to be free to touch him.

"That was even too long, anything coulda happened to ya, and I wasn't here. I love ma brother, we're blood…but I just had ta get back ta ya…" Daryl flipped them over on the bunk so that Carol was lying beneath him, and he started to lay a string of kisses around her neck and collarbone; he smirked against her neck as he felt her squirm beneath him. "Ain't cha got sommat ta say woman? Finally got me where ya want me and cat gotcha tongue?" Daryl thought that a little payback was in order for all of the blatant attempts at flirtation Carol had made over the last year. He rocked his hips against her pelvis lightly, letting her know exactly what his true intentions were. Carol bit her lip at the feel of him pressing against her and lifted her hips up in response.

"Got two words for you, Dixon." She breathed out and he leant back a little in order to see her face; loving the fact that he'd been the one to bring that flush to her cheeks.

"Would that be something like 'yeah, baby' or 'now Daryl'?" He grinned and then winked naughtily at her, before deliberately rubbing his aching manhood right where she needed it most.

"Ahhh….not quite, but close." Carol smirked in return and nuzzled against his scruff, loving the feel of it scraping across her sensitive skin; making her nerve endings tingle with anticipation.

"Tell me, baby." Daryl urged her as he dipped his head to press light teasing kisses all over her face, avoiding her lips until she told him what she needed. Carol tried to turn her head to get his lips to meet her mouth but he just laughed and Carol felt the rumble in his chest against every part of his body. She'd finally had enough of his teasing and reached up to capture his face between her palms, and smashing their mouths together in a heated, passionate kiss. Releasing his bottom lip slowly, Carol kept her eyes firmly fixed on his hot blue gaze and said only two words:

"Screw around?"

**AN: Okay, so let me know – do you want a fluffy romantic end chapter; hot and heavy, super smutty? Review me and I'll go with the majority!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Bet you all thought I'd forgotten about Carol's little passenger didn't you? They may have gotten all hot and heavy after Daryl rescued her from the tombs but their first kiss wasn't until she welcomed him home. **

**Just a little note to the guest reviewer who stated that I'd written in too much emotion for chapter 3; this story was never intended to be a strict reinterpretation of the TV episodes, I mean – Carol's pregnant in my story for one thing! Thank you for taking the time to read it anyway and to post your honest opinion.**

**This last chapter has a little bit of flashback smut for Kawinki, majsamoneill and Georgiapeachs – thanks guys for your support in all of my little tales; Cherokee-rose-girl; thanks for all the PM's – I hope the awkward moments of romance Dixon style fits the bill **

"Screw around?"

Before she could take another breath, Carol found herself lying flat on her back looking up into a pair of eyes that blazed with fiery passion. She'd seen those eyes darken like that only once before and as Daryl leant in closer to steal another kiss; she couldn't help but think about how differently he had acted that night…

_"Is there someone there?" Carol woke up with the sensation that she was being watched, she sat up on the bunk and blinked sleepily as a shadow in the corner of the cell slowly detached from the wall, revealing the silent hunters form. He'd thought for a moment about not answering and just letting her fall back asleep, and slipping out undetected; but something made him speak up instead._

_"Didn't mean ter wake yer…" Daryl mumbled sheepishly, he'd gotten into the habit of slipping into Carol's cell whenever he got off a late watch; telling himself that he was just making the usual rounds and that he checked on everyone. He'd only started doing it since the night he'd found Carol alive, but badly dehydrated down in the lower levels of the prison block. For two whole days, he had barely eaten or slept tortured over the fact that she was dead and that he hadn't been around to protect her. Ever since then he'd gotten into the habit of falling asleep outside of her cell, protecting her while she slept. That night, however he had slipped inside her cell and had been sitting watching over her from the corner of the small room. It was a full moon and as he had poked his head inside the cell to check up on her a beam of moonlight had suddenly shone through the narrow window and fallen over her sleeping face. Transfixed by the way the light hitting her face made her skin almost glow, Daryl found himself sinking to the floor and just letting his eyes linger. No one else was awake in the block to see, and he took the opportunity to memorise the placement of every freckle that dotted the bridge of his nose in order to imprint her face on his memory. He must have shifted slightly and that small movement was enough to wake her._

_"Daryl? Is there something wrong? Is it Judith?" Carol went to throw back her thin blanket and Daryl stepped forward to halt her movements, feeling their hands brush together as he stopped her from getting out of bed. He pulled his hand back quickly, just the simple brushing of their fingers sent pulses of electricity racing through his veins and he felt as though a fever was raging through his body. _

_"Nah…um...Just checkin' yer was alright." Daryl muttered, feeling like a peeping Tom that has been caught out unexpectedly. It felt too intimate being alone in the dark with her now that she was awake and he started to turn around to leave the cell when her small voice stopped him._

_"Keep me company a while?" Carol asked quietly and hoped that he couldn't see her face flush in the darkness. _

_"Ain't sure that's such a good idea, Carol." Daryl murmured, every instinct he possessed was telling him to move forward and make her his, but his inner demons were loud tonight and he wasn't sure he would be able to control himself around her. _

_"Oh…" Her quiet murmur of disappointment stabbed him in the heart and he swallowed hard in an effort to get past the lump in his throat._

_"I ain't a gentle man, Carol and I don't wanna hurt ya. I ain't ever been with a lady such as yerself…just a few quick tumbles in trucks with Merle's castoffs, I cain't be like Glenn or Rick – all touchy feely and all that shit, that just ain't me." Daryl whispered hoarsely, as he tried to explain why he just wasn't the type of man that he thought she needed._

_"Oh, Pookie – you're only going to hurt me if you walk away right now." Carol reached out a hand and flipped the corner of the blanket back in invitation and that was all the sign he needed. He hesitated a moment to throw a spare blanket over the doorway as a small measure of privacy before slipping into the bunk beside her and wrapping his arms around her._

_The moment Daryl felt her soft curves against his heated body it was if a switch had been flicked inside his head and all rational thought fled his mind. Hands tangled as they fumbled their way through moving unnecessary clothing out of the way so that they could reach skin; shins and elbows bumped against the walls of the cells as they tried to manoeuvre into position without much success. Daryl muttered and cursed when he hit his elbow against the metal frame of the bunk one too many times and growled as Carol laughed quietly, he finally gave up and dragged the mattress onto the floor pressing Carol down onto it beneath him; feeling her naked curves pressed against his raging hardness. He slipped one hand between their bodies to massage her breast, feeling her nipples furl into his palm. They felt fuller without the barrier of her bra and he only wished that there it was lighter so that he could see her more clearly. _

_"Ahh, that feels so good.…" Carol muttered, thrashing her head against the thin mattress and arching her pelvis against his hips. Daryl could see the flush beginning to spread across her cheeks and knew that she was enjoying his touch, it amazed him that she had chosen him out of all of the other men that she could have picked from. He bent his head to lick at the sweat beads forming across her chest and traced a bead as it dropped down onto her tightly budded nipple. _

_"Ya taste like that cream I brought back fer yer…all sweet roses and vanilla. Cain't get enough…" Daryl growled as he licked at the sweat bead and tasted the body cream that he made sure to look out for whenever they made a run out for toiletries. He rubbed his bristly cheeks between the valleys of her breasts and captured one rosy nipple between his lips, suckling gently. _

_"Daryl, please…." Carol whispered, amazed at how turned on she was just by having him play with her breasts. She couldn't believe that he had let down his guard with her and they were finally going to finish what they had been building up to for so long. Daryl growled softly as he continued to suckle her breasts, switching from one to the other so that neither was neglected. Carol wrapped her fingers in his hair and tugged firmly to get his attention. "I need you, now!" Daryl's eyes met her own and he saw her steely resolve, she wanted everything from him and she wanted it there and then._

_Keeping his gaze locked hers, he nudged her knees further apart and she felt his steely hardness nudging at her entrance. "Fuck! It's like slippin' into fire!" Daryl groaned as he thrust into her slowly; feeling her walls tighten at his invasion. "Yer so tight, feels like a fuckin' vice!" He noticed her wince as he edged in further, and it took all of his strength not to pound into her. Only when he felt her thighs fall open slightly as she grew used to him, did he start to move. Slowly at first, he inched forward and then slid almost all the way out. He repeated that a few times until she was digging her nails into his buttocks to urge him on. _

_"Harder, Pookie." Daryl gasped as Carol shifted position slightly so that she could wrap her ankles up around his waist; forcing him deeper into her. _

_"Fuck! Ain't gonna…." Daryl felt himself thrusting harder and deeper, until he lost all sense of rhythm and was just pounding uncontrollably. He released himself into her with a roar, that he was certain wouldn't have gone unnoticed and collapsed on top of her shaking with exhaustion. It wasn't until he recovered some of his senses that he realised that he had shot his load like a rocket without even making sure that she was satisfied first. He rolled away from her and cursed softly. "'M sorry, Carol…told ya it wouldn't be any good fer ya…cain't even get that right…" Daryl felt deeply ashamed at his behaviour and quickly redressed himself._

_"It is okay, Daryl, really. It was good…"_

_"No need ta lie ta me, I was never any good at it – Merle was right all along, too much of a pussy ta even please a woman right…Won't bother ya again." Daryl couldn't even look her in the eye, he just grabbed his boots and ran…_

"What are yer thinkin' so hard about, woman? Yer missin' all the best bits…" Daryl's husky whisper brought Carol from her trip down memory lane and she blinked as she realised that Daryl had somehow undone her blouse and unbuttoned her pants and was lying next to her on the cot wearing just his boxer shorts and a smirk. She reached over to push a strand of hair that had fallen over his eye and smiled as he leant into her touch.

"I was just thinking about the last time we were in this very position…" Carol mused and Daryl's eyes darkened as he remembered his behaviour that night. It wasn't something he was proud of and hopefully now he could make up for it.

"Don't remind me, I was a stupid shit and I never shoulda just left ya. I was too ashamed ta look at yer for days afterwards, thinkin' that yer must have been disappointed in me. Weren't much of a first time, was it? Don't think I even kissed ya…" Daryl propped himself up on his elbow and leant over to rub his nose over hers, before dropping a lush, wet kiss against her lips.

"Mmm…that's better, Pookie. First times are very rarely like the movies anyway, it takes time for a couple to learn what each other's likes and dislikes are." Carol smiled against his lips, savouring their closeness and trying to pick the right moment to announce her news.

"Well, I know you like it when I do this…." Daryl dropped his head to rub his scruffy goatee against her breasts and then massaged them one at a time in small circles. "Hmm, ya must have been eatin' yer rations instead of slippin' them ta the kids – put a little meat on yer bones, I like it." He remarked gravelly as he noticed that her breasts were a little plumper than before and her ribcage wasn't so prominent. His hand slipped down in between them to run over her ribcage and lower still, until he was running small circles around her navel.

"About that…I've kinda put on a little weight somewhere else too." Carol took a deep breath and guided his hand a little further down so that it rested just on her abdomen. All Daryl could think about at first was the silkiness of her skin beneath his palm and that if he slipped his fingers a little further south… He then realised that Carol was resting both of her hands above his own and was looking over at him with an anxious expression on her face.

"Don't be angry with me, Daryl. I didn't think it could happen, the doctor's told me after Sophia…" Carol felt tears prick behind her eyes and before they could fall, Daryl was there to wipe them away.

"I ain't angry, woman. Ain't exactly sure how to describe what I'm feelin', but it definitely ain't angry…" Daryl tipped her chin up with his forefinger and stared deeply into her eyes, letting her see the emotion in his. "Carol, I ain't ever gonna lay a hand on yer or our kid; I'm shit scared over what kind of daddy I'm gonna make but I'm gonna love ya both til the day I die…"

Carol reached up to caress the side of his face, and it was only then that Daryl realised that he was crying too. He shifted on the bunk so that he could lay his head against where his child was cocooned inside of her and wrapped his arms around the only woman he would ever need. "I love you, too, Daryl." Carol whispered against his hair and he looked up at her and smiled, wiping his eyes with the corner of the blanket.

Daryl slid off the bunk to rummage through Carol's belongings until he found a pair of comfortable jersey sleeping pants and t-shirt. He crossed back over to the bunk and removed Carol's blouse and then slid the t-shirt over her head. Tugging her gently to the edge of the bunk he slid her pants down her legs and slipped the shorts over her ankles; not trusting himself to pull them up any further he turned away to snag a pair of sleeping pants out of his pack for himself. Carol pulled the pants up to her waist and tried to ignore the pant of disappointment that shot through her at the fact that Daryl clearly didn't want to make love to her now.

"Hey, what's the matter, baby?" Daryl knelt on the floor at the side of the bunk and tugged her feet onto his lap as he pulled a pair of fluffy socks out of the pile of laundry. Carol tried to put on a brave face but failed miserably.

"You don't want to touch me anymore, is it because I'm pregnant?" Daryl nearly fell backwards in surprise.

"Hell, no!" He knelt forward again and grabbed her foot, pressing against his throbbing manhood. "Does that feel like I don't wanna touch yer?"

"Then why are we getting our jammies on?" Carol was confused, from what she could feel beneath her foot, Daryl was definitely ready for action but he seemed determined not to act on it.

"'Cause…we've both had a rough day, and my little baby mamma needs food and some rest. There'll be time enough for fun when we've both rested up a little." Daryl finished pulling on her fluffy socks and then pulled her to her feet and steered her toward the cell door. She stopped just as she got to the entrance and looked back over at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"You're not going into the kitchen looking like that, Pookie. All the women will be fighting over themselves to sit next to you." Daryl looked down and realised that he was strutting around bare chested. He had felt so comfortable with Carol that he hadn't even been conscious of the fact that all of his scars were on display.

"Oh, wait a bit and I'll slip a shirt on." Daryl bent over to grab a sleeveless t-shirt out of his pack and felt Carol grab his ass.

"I wasn't exactly focused on your shirt, Pookie…" She whispered as her hand crept beneath his waistband, straying into dangerous territory.

"I gathered that…I saw where your eyes were headin'. Let's get you fed and rested and then we'll come back to this discussion later." Daryl gently pulled her hand out of his waistband and chuckled at her disgruntled expression. He slipped the shirt over his head and pulled on a pair of socks of his own, before grabbing her hand and tugging her gently out of the cell.

"I'm warning you though, Pookie, pregnant women have very high sexual appetites; add in the fact that a middle aged woman has reached the peak of her sexual maturity…" Carol let her voice trail off suggestively and heard Daryl hiss through his teeth in response. He tried to ignore her teasing and wrapped one strong arm securely around her waist as he led her into the kitchen area. Maggie looked up from where she was stirring a pot of spaghetti on the stove and bit back a chuckle at the sight of the two of them taking a seat at the table. She nudged Rick and he snorted loudly, trying hard not to burst out into laughter; which aroused Daryl's attention.

"What's so funny, Rick? Ya ain't ever seen a man takin' care of his woman?" Daryl growled, not liking the way everyone was now looking over at the pair of them.

"It's not that…It's just sooo cute, you're wearing matching jammies!" Glenn pointed out and erupted into giggles. Daryl looked down and saw that he had indeed selected matching grey jersey pants and t-shirts for the both of them.

"Yeah, so what? Gonna need another pair soon enough when the rug rat arrives; might even pick up another pair for Merle to wear as well. All four Dixons wearing matching outfits; ain't gonna be laughing then are ya, Short Round?" Daryl flipped a finger at Glenn and turned his attention back to the woman at his side.

"That a proposal, Dixon?" Carol asked with a smile, she didn't need a piece of paper to tell her that she was married; hell as far as she was concerned they'd been married in their hearts for a long time, but who knew what was going through the Hunter's mind; he had the best poker face in the group so it was hard to tell exactly what he was thinking.

"Ain't we already married? We got a kid on the way, I figured we're about approaching our first anniversary by now." Daryl ran a finger down her cheek, he'd been crazy in love with his little grey mouse ever since the farm and it had been almost a year since they had left.

"Just what I was thinking too…" Carol leant in closer to his touch, and felt him press a kiss against her cheek. "I don't need a ceremony and we don't have a priest around here anyway; happy anniversary, darling."

"Happy anniversary." Daryl whispered back and pulled her over to sit on his lap. He looked up to see everyone looking amused. "What?"

"Must have missed the wedding announcement, where was the cake and booze?" Rick looked around the room at the others, "Did anyone else not get the invite? No? Well, who's gonna be the one brave enough to tell Merle that he's gonna be an uncle?"


End file.
